Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2020 to Question 46639, what assessment he has made of the effect on the provision of abortion services in Northern Ireland under Section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019 of the cessation of the recently introduced early medical abortion service.

As the honourable Member is aware, the Abortion (Northern Ireland) (No.2) Regulations 2020 we made have been in place since 31 March 2020. Since then, we have been dealing with the response to Covid-19 right across the UK. I very much welcome the services that have been operating on the ground in Northern Ireland through existing sexual and reproductive health clinics across the health and social care trusts.

I hope that these services can continue, and those that have ceased can resume, in parallel to longer-term services being commissioned as soon as possible, together with appropriate support and guidance in place so that access is available locally in all cases set out in the regulations, and that both women and clinicians are well supported. The Government and Department are continuing to engage on this issue with the Executive and the Northern Ireland Minister of Health in particular and his department.